Katonah's Entwistle Signs National Letter Of Intent

The Rev. Mark Vaillancourt, Kennedy's president and principal, looks on as Rachel Entwistle and Schuyler Bates sign with DePaul and Penn State, respectively, on the first day of the 2012 signing period.Photo Credit: Courtesy of Kennedy Catholic High School

SOMERS, N.Y. – Two Kennedy Catholic seniors, a hard-throwing right-handed pitcher and a power-hitting catcher, signed national letters of intent Thursday during an afternoon ceremony in the school library.

Pitcher Schuyler Bates, 17, of Ossining, inked with Penn State, while catcher Rachel Entwistle, 17, of Katonah, who holds Kennedy single-season records for home runs and RBIs and a New York State record for stolen bases in a game, committed to DePaul University. Both were recruited heavily by Division I schools following summer league play.

Entwistle hit the first home run out of Kennedy’s new softball field this past spring in a game in which she also hit for the cycle. The slugger, who enters her second season as co-captain, has been a varsity standout since freshman year, ranking among the leaders in most offensive categories for Section 1 catchers.

This year will likely see Entwistle set several school career marks for what promises to be a very talented Lady Gaels squad.

“I was just thinking about how incredible it all was,” she said. “I love my coach; he’s my dad. And love Kennedy; it’s helped me so much academically.”

Bates also had praise for his school and coach.

“Kennedy has helped me prepare,” he said. “Coach Fletcher primarily has been a big help throughout this process. They’ve helped me become the pitcher I am today and also the person I am today with my Catholic education.”

After anchoring a catching core that helped the New Jersey Breakers 18-and-under Gold Softball team, managed by U.S. National team, Entwistle has moved on to the New Jersey Cheetahs Gold Elite team, which will be coached this summer by former DePaul standout Jackie Tarulli.

Radar guns clocked Bates at 91 mph during an early summer tournament in East Cobb, Ga. Then it was on to Arizona to compter in the 16-team Perfect Game World Wood Bat Association (PG WWBA) 17-Under World Series. He also attracted the attention of some professional scouts PG WWBA World Series last month. Bates also has a no-hitter to his credit, throwing a near-perfect game this past spring when a base runner reached on an error. He induced a double play on the next pitch for the complete-game victory, facing the minimum number of batters.

Bates said he felt very comfortable with the Nittany Lions coaching staff, while Entwistle said she couldn’t turn down a Blue Demons program that has advanced to the Women’s College World Series four times in the past decade under Hall of Fame Coach Eugene Lenti.